I am training to be a women’s self defense instructor. Here are some tips:

Stay with people/go to people:
The saying “there is safety in numbers” is true. When you go out stay in a group. If you are alone and feel unsafe, go to a place where there are people.

Make yourself a hard target:
Criminals look for behavior and body language that suggest you are an easy target. Anything that reduces your senses of sight and hearing, or that reduces your response time to danger, should be avoided. Someone who is listening to an I-pod with a hooded sweatshirt pulled up with hands in their pockets is an easy target for an attacker. Walk with confidence and purpose, use your eyes to scan the area around you and listen for noise that might indicate something isn’t right.

If attacked, fight back:
An attacker expects an easy target. They are not looking to be caught or injured. When you fight back you change the attacker’s game plan and they have to react to you. Use any means available to you. Your elbows, knees, and forearms can inflict a lot of damage on an attacker with minimal risk to yourself. Don’t be afraid to bite, scratch, or use objects to strike your attacker. As you fight back you are creating and/or gathering physical evidence of the attack that the police can use to find and arrest your attacker. Your goal when being attacked is to get away.

If your attacker gets you on the ground:
First, do everything you can to roll onto your back. It is important that you can see what your attacker is doing so that you can use your legs and arms to protect yourself. Once on your back, put your feet on your attacker’s hips. Often, you can push your legs to get your attacker off of you and then kick to his body and face. Get up as quickly and safely as you can and get away.

After an attack:
1.Get away from the situation and go to people. 2. Tell the police about the attack as soon as possible. Also, make sure to document the attack yourself with pictures of any injuries. 3. Get medical attention. It is likely that you will be cut or bruised. Medical professionals can also help document what happened. Also, take care of yourself mentally. Get counseling, it will help you to know that you are not alone.

I’m a student and I just want to point out that the description given to us could fit a large number of the guys on campus. The girls were thinking more about their safety than memorizing what their attackers looked like. Also it was not a black man and the fact that people jumped to that stereotype is saddening.

I am an alumni of GAC and I know the locations where the attacks took place and while there are video cameras near each of the locations, these attacks also took place outside where there are many areas you can go to avoid the cameras.